I always thought that most of the gay romance novels out there were intended for the female audience. Don't get me wrong, I have no real problem with this. I would just like to read some gay romance that is aimed for the gay male audience. Yet, I read some excerpts from several novels and I thought I would give them a try. What should I start off with?

There is a new branch of Romance Writers that is just for queer fiction. (Erotica also falls under romance in the publishing world.) They are a good lead as to what publishers and authors are available. I pick books up at my library sales as I know there is a high swap demand for them. But really haven't read many.

I am always trying to find books geared towards the ladies and seem to stumble on ones about men. Funny how that works! I had one on my bookshelf that went pretty fast called "Looker", it was decent. It wasn't the best book I've ever read, but it was entertaining and held my attention. There are some steamy parts, but it actually has a plot too which is nice :-) I don't have it anymore, but you could try to find that one

I'm a woman and I've read a fair number of books in this genre. I know what you mean about those written for women. ;-) I'm also a librarian whose done a small amount of research on this topic. For stories with a bit more realism, try these authors:

-- Gordon Merrick (Wrote mostly during the 70's. Considered to be one of the groundbreaking authors in this genre b/c he published erotic novels w/o going to an underground press. I suggest starting with The Lord Won't Mind, the first (and the best) in a trilogy.)

I haven't read it yet, but I hear that Nightswimmer by Joseph Olshan is good; also Dancer from the Dance by Andrew Holleran.

The authors below that I like may not have the realism you seek.

-- Sean MIchael (Prolific. Many of his stories contain D&S themes. Most are contemporary, although some are futuristic or paranormal. For straight gay romance - no pun intended! - start with the Jarhead series.)

No one has mentioned my favorite male gay romance author, Paul Monette. I once ordered all of his books and read straight through them. His fiction is romance written in the AIDS era and very good. His non-fiction is fantastic. He will make you laugh and cry and always writes about loving men. His autobiographicial books, Becoming a Man and Borrowed Time, should be required reading.

I just finished And Then They Were Nuns: A Novel by Nancy Leonardi. This book may be the best Lesbian fiction I have ever read, especially for country living, former and present Catholic folks. I loved it too much to keep and I have swapped it on, but I think the wish list is really small for this book.